Promised Rose
by LeChaton
Summary: Tsuzuki comes home to a pleasant surprise that isn't as good as it seems...
1. Blooming Rose

            "Hisoka! I'm home…" Tsuzuki called out cheerfully as he entered the apartment he shared with his partner. Shutting the door behind himself, he took off his shoes and stepped into his slippers, lazily tossing his coat on the couch as he passed it by and shuffled off towards the bedroom. 

            "Hisoka…" There was no answer from the blond, which was odd seeing that he was almost always at home reading a book or some such after work. Still, Tsuzuki thought nothing of it as he headed into the bedroom to relax…only to be confronted by a sea of roses. The room absolutely overflowed with roses. Everywhere he looked…, his bed, the chairs, on top of the dresser and television, blanketing the floor…the only thing untouched was Hisoka's bed on the opposite side of the room.

            "'Soka…" Tsuzuki let the whisper fall from his lips as he marveled at the sight. Roses of every size, shape, and color covered the room so thickly that Tsuzuki could hardly move without brushing lavender, stepping on red, or upsetting a bouquet of white or yellow. The grin on his face bloomed into a full on smile as his mind began to work out the meaning of all this.

* 'Hisoka must have gotten me all these roses!' * he mentally squealed to himself.

     * 'But…why? Valentine's Day is long gone, and he wouldn't be caught dead giving me a valentine, especially not after I made him eat that homemade chocolate. My birthday already passed and he gave me a gift for that occasion. Maybe he…no! No, no, no!! He wouldn't! Would he? Could he? Is Hisoka in love with me?!' *

"He loves me!!" Tsuzuki giggled out loud, sending out sunbeams with his smile. Practically sprouting a wagging tail, the man began swimming through the flowers, counting and memorizing the numbers with a Tatsumi-like accuracy. Many, many moments later his mathematical endeavor was finished.

"Kami-sama…so many bouquets…one million roses total! It must have cost a small fortune!" Being as gentle with the flowers as possible, he cleared off a space on the bed and sat down.

* 'How could he have done this? Hisoka could never afford such a thing…Tatsumi? No…he would never spend so much money.' * A horrible thought crossed Tsuzuki's mind as he cringed.

* 'Hakushaku-sama? Eww…I hope not. But…who?' * The gears in his head went into overdrive as he continued puzzling over it, absently toying with a simple dozen rose bouquet that had been placed on his pillow. It was when he picked up the bouquet and looked at the flowers a bit closer that the obvious hit him head on.

"Red queens…" he murmured.

~ 'They suit you…' ~

~ 'Tsuzuki-san…one day I will come to see you bearing a million roses…' ~

"No…please no…no!" Tsuzuki sent the bouquet flying across the room as his body shot up from the bed realizing he was in danger.

"Not again…leave me alone! Where are you, you monster?!"

"My, my…I thought you would never catch on, koibito…"

Instinctively, Tsuzuki whirled around to face the voice, only to find his arms trapped in a strong grip as he looked upon the white clad angel, Lucifer in his own right, and snarled his divinely cursed name,

            "Muraki…"


	2. Caged Rose

            "Ah, Tsuzuki-san, I must ask you…did you miss me?" Muraki smirked as he drew Tsuzuki's body closer to his own.

            "Bastard! You should be dead!" Tsuzuki managed to grind out between clenched teeth.

            "Should be, yet obviously not." The madman chuckled in return as he moved his mouth to Tsuzuki's neck, holding the shinigami's hands firmly to the small of his own back so that he could not struggle free.

            "What do you want from me, Muraki?! Saki is destroyed…you don't need me anymore. Please…please stop." Tears began welling up in Tsuzuki's eyes as he pleaded for his freedom. Muraki pulled his face back to look at Tsuzuki as he seemed to ponder this.

            "You are right in the statement that I don't need you, however, I do want you, Tsuzuki-san, very much so, and nothing you say or do will ever change that. This time you will be mine forever." In a flash of white light, Muraki disappeared from the room with Tsuzuki in his arms, leaving a single bouquet of roses behind as a final farewell gift to his doll, whenever the boy should return.

***

Hisoka sat motionless as he stared into Watari's amber eyes.

            "So…you really feel that way, huh bon?" Watari grinned mischievously. 

            "Yes, I do, but I don't want to just say it and sit there looking stupid. I want to…to show him, somehow." The empathy crossed his arms and fidgeted about uncomfortably.

            "Well, show him then!"

            "I don't know how!" Hisoka shouted, exasperated.

The two shinigami sat in silence for several moments. 

            "Watari-san…I want you to teach me." A pale pink took hold of Hisoka's cheeks.

            "Teach you what, bon?" the scientist was obviously puzzled.

            "You know! Teach me how to…you know…kiss, touch, make love. All the stuff couples do right? You are a doctor and all." By this point Hisoka had worked his nerves to a fever pitch.

            "Well, yes, I am a doctor, but those are things you have to learn from experience. I mean, you can't just read a book and expect to learn how bon." Watari spoke matter of factly, holding his chin in the palm of his hand.

            "Then just show me or something!" the boy spat.

            "I can't do that!" Watari panicked, not sure how he should respond to such a request, yet wanting very badly to do as the boy asked, even if only for demonstrative purposes.

            "Umm…Watari-san…that wasn't what I meant. Honestly, sometimes you're as dense as Tsuzuki. Isn't there any advice you can give?" Hisoka was becoming slightly irritated by the whole situation. He probably should have never come to Watari for help. The GuShoShin would have probably been of more assistance.

            "Look, never mind I even asked." The boy spoke up before Watari could even open his mouth.

            "Tsuzuki is probably worried sick wondering where I'm at. I'll just…I don't know. It doesn't matter. See you tomorrow." With a slight wave goodbye, Hisoka promptly headed home, regretting that he had even brought up the issue. Honestly, he was becoming too emotional and open as of late.

***

When Tsuzuki came to, he realized that he was no longer in a familiar place, nor was he in familiar clothing. He was wearing a dealer's suit, just like the one he wore as a disguise on the Queen Camellia.  As he looked around the room, he took in the fine furnishings. It was obviously a bedroom, obviously because it was a very large bed he was tied to. The events that led to him being here played over and over in his mind as he wondered where Muraki was and what the sick man planned to do to him. Tears welled up once more as he began to struggle against the tethers holding him firmly to the mattress.

            "Muraki!!" he screamed, thrashing about like a captured animal. "Muraki!! Bastard!!!"

            "Such behavior is not called for, Tsuzuki-san." Muraki came in from a door just out of Tsuzuki's line of vision carrying a bottle of wine and pulling a room service cart of food behind him. "Now, would you care to have dinner with me, Tsuzuki-san?"


	3. Fear Rose

Looking up at the madman standing before him, Tsuzuki nearly retched at the idea of having dinner with him, yet it might be his chance to escape.

"Dinner?" he asked meekly, blushing.

"Hai, Tsuzuki-san….dinner. You are hungry, are you not?" Muraki moved ever closer to the incapacitated shinigami.

"If I eat with you, will you untie me?" Tsuzuki put on his best pitiful puppy face.

"I suppose…but don't think for a minute that I'll be foolish enough to give you a chance to escape. This isn't Kyoto, you know. I hold the knife in this situation." Muraki threatened as he slowly undid the red ribbons that held Tsuzuki.

"Thank you, sensei." Tsuzuki replied, smiling. Muraki merely looked at him thoughtfully in return. It was, of course, unusual for Tsuzuki to address him in such a polite manner…especially after screaming that he was a bastard a moment before.

Shifting slightly on the bed, Tsuzuki looked over to the cart of food, taking in the delicious aroma that it was letting off.

"We have roast veal under glass, potatoes au gratin, vegetable stir fry, and a vintage cabernet wine for the main meal…cherry cheesecake and a light merlot for dessert." Muraki placed the food on the dining table and served them both as Tsuzuki remained seated on the bed, watching cautiously.

"Are you coming? Tsuzuki-san?" Muraki asked, standing behind a chair that was obviously meant for Tsuzuki.

"Hai." Tsuzuki was quick to get to the chair, allowing Muraki to push him up to the table. The pair began their meal in silence, which, to Tsuzuki's chagrin, did not last long.

"Well…it really has been quite some time, Tsuzuki-san. How have you been?" Muraki spoke in between mouthfuls. 

"Uh…fine." Tsuzuki replied, barely touching his food.

"Anything interesting happen since we last met?"

"No…not in particular…." The shinigami fidgeted uncomfortably, casting glances at the door and window, contemplating which was his best bet.

"Tsuzuki-san…the window, as well as the door, is sealed with a magic that only I can penetrate. Stop plotting escape. We're having dinner." Muraki said calmly. Tsuzuki couldn't help but look embarrassed at having been caught so red handed. It wasn't long until Muraki had finished his meal. Tsuzuki, having only eaten his potatoes, acknowledged that he was finished. Dessert was then served. Muraki placed a delectable cheesecake drenched in a cherry sauce on the table, and Tsuzuki simply couldn't help but let his mouth water. 

"May I feed you, Tsuzuki-san?" the smiling man asked.

"I…suppose..." 

Muraki moved to feed Tsuzuki a forkful of the treat when a single wet cherry fell from the fork. Picking it up in his fingers, Muraki moved his hand to Tsuzuki's mouth to deposit the cherry in a more intimate manner. Admittedly, Tsuzuki wanted the sweet, but his freedom was more important at the moment. As Muraki's hand reached his lips, Tsuzuki bit down on the pale man's fingers, quite hard to say the least. In a mad dash, Tsuzuki sprang to the door, grabbing the handle only to be thrown back by a powerful energy barrier, just as Muraki had said. The doctor made a move towards Tsuzuki, who sprinted towards the window, only to have Muraki catch him by the hair and fling him onto the bed.

"I told you...I told you not to try this! Now you will need to be punished. Didn't you know, Tsuzuki-san, that biting turns me on?" he laughed as he approached Tsuzuki's prone figure, pushing the shinigami further onto the bed. With one hand, he slapped Tsuzuki across the face.

"Take off your clothes." He ordered.

"No! No! Stop!" Tsuzuki had balled himself up trying to get away from the man, only further trapping himself against the headboard.

"I gave you chances to behave…you disobeyed me. Bad dolls must be broken."

**********************************

Hisoka got home about two hours after his normal time. He expected to see Tsuzuki sitting in the living room, munching on something and watching some stupid anime, but when he walked in the door, all that greeted him was quiet.

"Tsuzuki!!" he called out, slipping his shoes off at the door. Thinking that the man was probably taking a nap, he headed straight towards the bedroom. Stopping outside the door, he quickly formulated a plan…a plan of seduction no less. It was a crazy idea, but he was bound to try it. Slipping off his jacket and shirt, he then headed into the bedroom in nothing but his tight jeans.

Sadly…the room was empty…except for a bouquet of roses upon his pillow. At first, it seemed as if they had been left as a gift to him, presumably from Tsuzuki, but as he drew closer, he knew it was no gift…it was a warning.

"Muraki…." he growled, his blood nearly boiling in his veins.

"Tsuzuki!" he screamed afterwards.


End file.
